In this study a proposed site for heavy mineral dune mining in southwestern Madagascar, and an experimental study on desert dunes following mining for diamonds on the southwestern corner of Namibia are compared. Madagascar is very rich in flora and fauna and has become a center for studies on endemism and unusual biota. The Namib Desert region of Namibia is no less important as a conservation hot spot. The two areas are very different in physical, biological, and social environments, which make for very different approaches to the restoration of the sites following mining. The low rainfall southwestern coastal region of Madagascar is fairly heavily populated and the restoration strategy is to provide natural vegetation, woodlots for timber or fuel or crop plants for the surrounding villages. In the Namib Desert, following mining, a restoration project was designed and implemented where dwarf shrubs were transplanted and the site was left to recover naturally by spontaneous restoration. Wind-blown seeds of plants in adjacent areas were established in the mined areas amongst the transplants resulting in a community similar to that of the pre-mining state. Seedlings were able to survive partial burial and exhibit increased growth in conjunction with sand accumulation.